Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Starlette

Name: Popularity of the name Starlette in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Starlette, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Starlette and Stella are nearly identical French geodetic and geophysical satellites. Starlette was launched on 6 February 1975 and Stella on 26 September 1993. Starlette was the first passive laser satellite developed.

Current Rank

#13,427

Peak Rank

#3,780 (1982)

Total Babies

714

5-Yr Trend

+6%

1943

First Year

2024

Last Year

1982

Peak Year

#3780

Peak Rank

714

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Starlette

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

Starlette's development dates back to at least 1972, when scientists at the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) were trying to determine a payload for the upcoming first flight of the new Diamant BP4 rocket. After consulting with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , CNES scientists decided to create a small geodetic satellite optimized for tracking by laser ranging . The project was approved within a few months after a feasibility study by the French atomic agency CEA determined the dense uranium core could be made nearly non-radioactive by using depleted uranium . The Groupe de r

The Story of Starlette

Starlette first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1943, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 21 Starlettes were born — ranking #3,780 that year. As of 2026, Starlette ranks #13,427 for baby girls with 6 births, gradually rising (+6%). In total, more than 714 Starlettes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Starlette

Phonetically similar names — useful when Starlette is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Starlette

What does the name Starlette mean?

How popular is Starlette in 2026?

In 2026, Starlette ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Starlette most popular?

Starlette reached its peak popularity in 1982, ranking #3,780 that year with 21 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Starlette most popular?

Starlette has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Starlette.

Is Starlette a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Starlette is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Starlette?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Starlette include Shenia, Ronnetta, Sheretta. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Starlette

Starlette is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1943 and has accumulated 714 births in the dataset. Starlette's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #3,780. Use the chart and map above to compare Starlette's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.